UK announces plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda

Refugee organizations have criticized Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s decision. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following UK announces plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda [British PM Boris Johnson looks at a Coastguard drone for surveillance and rescue of migrants, as he meets crews and technical staff at Lydd Airport, south east England, April 14, 2022.] Credit: Matt Dunham/AP/Pool photo United Kingdom Britain has announced a plan to send possibly [tens of thousands]( of migrants and asylum seekers to Rwanda, focusing mostly on single men arriving on boats or lorries through the English channel. Prime Minister Boris Johnson presented it as an attempt to save people from human trafficking. But refugee organizations have [criticized the decision](, questioning its cost and impact, and raising concerns about Rwanda's human rights record. Home Secretary Priti Patel has traveled to the Rwandan capital Kigali to sign the deal. Meanwhile, the leader of the Labor party, Sir Keir Starmer, has claimed that the move is an attempt to distract attention away from Johnson's "partygate" scandal. US-Mexico border An order by Texas Governor Greg Abbott to implement [secondary vehicle inspections]( of trucks crossing over the Mexican border has backed up vehicles for miles. Abbott said the move would stem the flow of illegal drugs and human trafficking. But some truckers have been stuck in traffic for more than 30 hours, while fruit and vegetable importers say their products have been caught up in a political standoff. Some drivers have even set up blockades in protest at bridges in the cities of Pharr and El Paso since Monday. Abbot said on Wednesday that he would relax inspections only on trucks entering from Nuevo León, Mexico, because the region’s governor had [agreed to tighter security measures](, but that restrictions would remain for other places that have yet to do so. Sri Lanka Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa has [offered to hold talks]( with protesters as they continue to camp out in front of the president’s office, demanding his resignation over the government’s poor handling of the country’s economic crisis. They’re also calling for the entire political family to step down from power, accusing them of [corruption and misrule](. Meanwhile, the opposition has threatened to bring a no-confidence motion against the government in parliament. The island nation is facing a foreign currency shortage that’s stalling imports of medicine and fuel, which is causing hours of power cuts every day. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [American lawmakers accuse China of spying on dissidents in the US]( [Pro-democracy activists, Joshua Wong, left, Sunny Cheung, center, and Nathan Law holding a placard, speak to media to urge the European leaders against national security law for Hong Kong outside the Legislative Council, in Hong Kong, June 3, 2020.]( Credit: Kin Cheung/AP When activist and politician Sunny Cheung fled from Hong Kong to the US two years ago, he thought he would be free. But his troubles followed him there, where he says he's received [threats on social media]( through what appear to be "fake accounts." [Ukrainian seafarers stuck at US ports face tight restrictions, legal hurdles]( [The seven-member, all-Ukrainian cargo crew of Ocean Force is shown as a group in Philadelphia’s port. They're preparing to step onto US soil any day now.] Credit: Teresa Krug/The World Many of the tens of thousands of Ukrainian seafarers who boarded ships before the war started are now struggling to get off: either in the hopes of staying in the countries they land in — or flying back to Europe. In the US, the shipping industry is asking Customs and Border Protection to [revisit decisions]( in these cases. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot Uncle Roger is the creation of Nigel Ng, a Malaysian Chinese comedian who now lives in London. His YouTube channel has nearly half of a billion views. In his videos, he rebukes celebrity chefs, who prepare Asian dishes incorrectly, through the use of humor. [Listen to the story]( by The World's Patrick Winn. 🎧 [Malaysian Chinese comedian Nigel Ng poses as Uncle Roger to critique people's culinary endeavors. His YouTube channel has nearly halfof a billion views.] Credit: Screenshot from YouTube --------------------------------------------------------------- [In case you missed it from The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.